Season 3 began last fall with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) wrongly incarcerated in Sona, a hellish Panamanian prison where there are no rules, no guards, and no escape.

After successfully breaking his older brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) out of Fox River Penitentiary for a murder he didn’t commit (Season One), Michael, Lincoln and some other convicts became the targets of a nationwide manhunt that eventually led them to tropical Panama (Season Two).

Despite the fact that Lincoln was exonerated for his alleged crimes, the brothers’ freedom was short-lived as Michael was framed and sent to Sona Prison by “The Company,” the same government conspiracy that originally put Lincoln behind bars. But Michael learns he was purposely placed in Sona to engineer another daring and seemingly impossible prison break – this time in order to free Whistler (Chris Vance), a mysterious inmate hiding in the prison’s sewer system. While seemingly saintly, it appears that Whistler is in cahoots with mysterious villain Susan (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe).

A lot will happen in the five-episode run – possibly more if the strike is resolved – that’ll take us into February sweeps: a breakout from Sona, moral compass Michael taking someone’s life, and the further coupling of Lincoln and Sofia (Danay Garcia).

Sweaty convicts, deadly alliances, government conspiracies…sounds like the perfect antidote to mid-season blues.

Like 24, the clock is ticking and the action is high on this tense thriller. The November cliffhanger left us feeling like anything can happen – and probably will -- and even a few episodes will help to feed our escapist fix.

The Jan. 14 issue of TV Guide promises that even after a successful escape, Sona will continue to be a key setting, with new inmates calling the renegade prison home. And could there be romance in store for Lincoln and Sofia?